Members of the three sects, except for the Sect Master and a few elders, had already knelt on the ground, their bodies trembling uncontrollably from fear.
Yun Yun looked at the black mist in the sky, her jade-like hands tightly clenched, her nails digging into her palms as if she didn't even feel it.
"Earth Rank High-Level Dou Technique, this is already not much different from a Heaven Rank Dou Technique."
She felt her body swaying, as if she might collapse at any moment.
She had originally planned to go to the Central Plains to increase her strength and, after becoming stronger, return to the Jia Ma Empire to rebuild the Misty Cloud Sect.
Well, now there's no need to consider any plans or arrangements.
I might as well think about what to say when I see the teacher later.
"Teacher…"
At that moment, a clear and puzzled voice came from afar.
A moon-white figure rushed over from the distance, with Dou Qi wings flapping behind.
"Yanran, you came out of the Gate of Life and Death?"
Seeing the graceful figure revealed after the sword light faded, Yun Yun was momentarily stunned.
"Teacher, what happened to the Misty Cloud Sect?"
Nalan Yanran nodded and asked the biggest question on her mind.
Why does it feel like so much time has passed after just a few years of seclusion, and the Misty Cloud Sect is almost gone?
"Yanran, the Misty Cloud Sect is finished. You, me, and soon, all of us might be gone."
The joy that had appeared on Yun Yun's face due to Nalan Yanran's emergence quickly faded. She looked at the sky, her lips curving into a deep bitterness.
Hearing this, Nalan Yanran felt her hair stand on end, her heart filled with shock.
Was the teacher really not joking with her?
After her defeat by Xiao Yan, she had resolutely chosen to enter the Gate of Life and Death, enduring countless perils and hardships for several years. She finally emerged with peak Dou King strength.
She had been thinking it was time to find an opportunity to fight Xiao Yan again.
But, what did she just hear?
Gone?!
Not only was the Misty Cloud Sect about to be destroyed, but she was too, and even the teacher couldn't change the outcome?
"Teacher, am I dreaming? Tell me, I'm really dreaming, right?"
Nalan Yanran's voice trembled, unable to accept the reality.
If death awaited her upon emergence, then what was the meaning of all the suffering and effort she had put in over the years?
"I know this truth is harsh, but it is what it is. That is a Dou Technique comparable to Earth Rank High-Level, currently being wielded by three Dou Ancestor experts. We cannot resist it."
Yun Yun embraced her disciple, placing her hand on her slightly emaciated shoulders. It was not hard to imagine the hardships Yanran had endured over the years, and Yun Yun felt a deep pang of sorrow.
If she hadn't given her approval back then, and Yanran hadn't left the Xiao Family to break off the engagement, would they be facing this situation today?
Earth Rank High-Level Dou Technique? Three Dou Ancestors?
Each term made Nalan Yanran's body tremble.
How could just a few years of seclusion feel like decades?
When did Dou Ancestors become so easily encountered in the Jia Ma Empire?
And Earth Rank High-Level Dou Technique—was this really not a joke?
"Teacher, who is fighting against them? Is it the ancestor?"
Nalan Yanran looked up, her reddened eyes gazing at Yun Yun.
"It's not. It's Lin Xiu."
Yun Yun shook her head.
"Who is he?"
Nalan Yanran was momentarily stunned, feeling a bit puzzled.
Yun Yun didn't speak. Explaining this matter would take a long time, and clearly, now was not the right moment.
"Hey, can you have a bit of faith in Lin Xiu? After all, you've been with him for half a year. Don't you know him yet?"
Zi Yan scratched her ear, feeling quite odd as she listened from the side.
At this rate, are you planning to reveal your deepest secrets to each other before you die?
Zi Yan was unaware of the details between Xiao Yan, Nalan Yanran, and Yun Yun. Otherwise, she definitely wouldn't have spoken up, but would have silently watched as the two exchanged their grievances and poured out their hearts.
Such a scene would surely be interesting.
"Do you think Lin Xiu can turn things around? That's an Earth Rank High-Level Dou Technique, you know? Do you understand what Earth Rank High-Level means?"
Nalan Yanran looked at Zi Yan's small stature, thinking she was just a little girl and probably didn't understand the significance of Earth Rank.
"Of course, Lin Xiu's Earth Rank Dou Techniques are not just a few; he must have at least a dozen. I've sparred with him often, so how could I not know?"
With her arms crossed and a slightly displeased expression, Zi Yan felt like giving the newly appeared woman a punch.
"She's a Dou Emperor."
Yun Yun grabbed Nalan Yanran's hand and whispered in her ear.
Upon hearing this, Nalan Yanran's pupils contracted, and she took a deep breath, pressing her chest against Yun Yun's with a hard bump.
Seeing that Zi Yan, who was closest to Lin Xiu and had a very close relationship with him, remained calm, Yun Yun's expression softened somewhat. "Could he really have a solution?"
She looked at the thin, flickering figure in the black mist.
"Lin Xiu, if you can break through this black mist, we should hurry and escape. With your speed, you'll definitely be able to get away."
Venerable Tian Huo, sensing the situation outside, quickly reminded him, worried that the young man, lacking fear, might not understand the importance of preserving one's life.
"No need. I actually want to test the true power of an Earth Rank High-Level Dou Technique."
Lin Xiu did not accept the suggestion.
"You can't, Lin Xiu. An Earth Rank High-Level Dou Technique is not an ordinary Dou Technique. Although the Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique can unleash power comparable to a Heaven Rank Dou Technique, it requires four types of Heavenly Flames to condense into a Fire Spirit. You currently only have the Fallen Heart Flame and Sea Heart Flame, which is far from enough. It's even difficult to fully exert the power of an Earth Rank High-Level Dou Technique."
Yao Tian Huo, thinking Lin Xiu was overly confident in his Dou Technique, couldn't help but feel anxious.
Although the Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique was created by himself, he knew best about its actual power.
Even the claim that it was comparable to a Heaven Rank Dou Technique was something he had boasted about himself.
During his peak, Yao Tian Huo hadn't even mastered two types of Heavenly Flames; the Fire Spirit he condensed was just an ordinary Beast Flame.
He almost wanted to slap himself. If he hadn't boasted back then, would Lin Xiu have listened and left by now?
"Venerable Tian Huo, you misunderstood. I don't plan to use the Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique. What I really intend to use is my own created Earth Rank High-Level Dou Technique."
Lin Xiu spoke with a calm tone, as if he were discussing something extremely ordinary.
What?!
However, upon hearing this, Yao Tian Huo nearly had a mental breakdown, his Soul almost unable to contain the surge of fury.
Did I hear that right?
An Earth Rank High-Level Dou Technique created by him?
Heaven, this little guy has been practicing for only a short time, and now he can create an Earth Rank Dou Technique? And it's an Earth Rank High-Level?
A string of words were caught in Yao Tian Huo's heart, with an urge to speak out.
Just as he was about to scold Lin Xiu harshly, planning to wake him up with his words, he suddenly stopped.
Because, in his perception, the aura of this world had suddenly changed.
The surrounding void trembled, and the Dou Qi in the air seemed to ignite like gunpowder, beginning to boil.
"Th-this…"
Having created the Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique, Yao Tian Huo had used it many times. When he activated the formation with the five types of Fire Spirit, similar fluctuations would appear.
And this kind of fluctuation from the Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique definitely had the power of an Earth Rank High-Level Dou Technique.
Now, it seems that Lin Xiu has also achieved this. His initial move bears the shadow of the Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique, but it is somewhat different.
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